About The Cover

COVER In 1565, Pieter Bruegel the Elder painted this frigid northern European landscape in his work Hunters in the Snow. That year was just one of many during the 16th century when winters in Europe were particularly severe. Historical and physical records from all parts of the world indicate that temperatures were colder than normal for much of the period between 1400 and 1900 A.D. See page 657 [Photo: Erich Lessing/Art Resource]